Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Laws admitted there would be “disappointment to some parents” that £250 Child Trust Fund payments for newborns are ending from January 1, and for seven-year-olds from August.

But he pointed out that some of the £320m saved would be used to fund extra “respite breaks” for disabled children.

But Mr Lewis, pictured below, the Labour AM for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney accused the coalition of being “anti-child”.

He said: “I know tough decisions have to be made, but taking money away from disadvantaged children is not tough, it is evil.

“This coalition at Westminster is rapidly proving itself to be anti-child. There are very serious concerns too about their commitment to the Working Families Tax Credit and to child benefit.”

The Child Trust Fund, introduced by Labour, made payments to children at birth and seven years of age with additional contributions being made by the Assembly Government when the child reached five.

Between September 2002 and April 2008, 179,000 Child Trust Fund accounts were opened in Wales.

Mr Lewis said: “In the first major announcement by the Tory Lib Dem government we can see how they plan to run the country – taking the axe to some of the most vulnerable in our society.

“By scrapping Labour’s Child Trust Fund the Tories and their Lib Dem helpers have pulled the rug from underneath thousands of Welsh children.

“Labour introduced the Child Trust Fund to give every child the best possible start in life. As part of our plan to eradicate child poverty Welsh Labour has even made additional contributions to match those from the UK Government.

“At a time of economic uncertainty when debt is a major worry it is short-sighted to say the very least to cut a government programme that encourages people to save for their children’s future.

“However, the sad fact is that neither the Tories nor Lib Dems supported the Child Trust Fund with the Liberals even claiming it is ‘little more than a gimmick’.

He said that as the Welsh Minister responsible for children he would be writing to the UK government demanding a re-think of the decision in light of the damaging effect it would have on “the trust of Welsh people”.

The Conservatives’ Shadow Finance Minister at the Assembly Nick Ramsay said: “I am disappointed by Huw Lewis’s comments, though not surprised as this is the sort of desperate political point-scoring that we have come to expect from the Labour Party in Wales in recent days and months.

“We were open and realistic about the cuts that needed to be made in the run up to the election because we recognise the seriousness of the country’s debt.

“We must not forget that these comments come from the same Labour Party whose years of financial mismanagement has left every child born in Wales saddled with £23,000 of debt.

“Tough decisions have to be made to face the deficit left by Labour’s legacy.”

WalesOnline is part of Media Wales, publisher of the Western Mail, South Wales Echo, Wales on Sunday and the seven Celtic weekly titles, offering you unique access to our audience across Wales online and in print.